Combination vacuum tank and registering device



June 15 1926. 1,589,668

" T. T. GIVENS INVENTOR.

THO/1A 5 T 6/ Vf/VS BY ATTORNEYS.

June 15 1926.

T. T. GIVENS COMBINATION VACUUM TANK AND REGISTERING DEVICE 2Sheets-Shet 2 Filed Feb. 2

INVENTOR. ibonms f/ytws BY 4% ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 15, 1926 UNITED STATES THOMAS '1. GIVENS, MERCED,CALIFORNIA.

counma'rron vacuum TANK AND REGISTERING DEVICE.

Application filed. February 2, 1925. Serial No. 6,481.

The present invention relates to improvements in vacuum tanks forautomobiles, and its particular object is to provide means allowinggasoline to be fed to the carburetor in measured quantities and allowingthe quantities to be counted in a registering device, so that theoperator of the automobile can tell at all times how'much gasoline hasbeen used The device described in the present application is similar tothat described in my co-pending application Serial No. 756,041, filedDecember th, 1924, the principal difference being that in the present;-invention I use electric means for operating the principal valves aswell as for operating the wheels of the register.; In this connection itis proposed to cause a float to open and close one of the valves of thevacuum lustrated in tank when reaching a maximum or minimum elevationwhile the valve renders active electrical circuits for effecting aregistering opening or closing of the other valves and forsimultaneously effecting a registering of each operation.

.It is proposed to provide means allowing the electrical circuits afterhaving performed their respective functions to be broken automaticallyso that current is withdrawn from a source of energy only when action isrequired and not during the intervals.

Further objects and advantages of my device'will appear as thespecification proceeds.

The preferred form of the inventlon is iltlie accompanying drawing, mwhich- Figure 1 shows a vertical section through my device.

Figure 2 a top plan view of the same, and

Figure 3 a wiring diagram.

While I have shown only the preferred form of the invention, I wish tohave it understood that various changes or modifications may be madewithin the scope of the claims hereto attached without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

The tank 1 which preferably is cylindrical in form is divided into anupper chamber 2 and a lower chamber 3 by means of the partition 4. Thebottom 6 of the tank is provided with a port 7 and a fitting 8 forconnection with the carburetor of the internal combustion engine inconnection with which my device is to be used. A second port 9 in theside wall of the tank above the partition 4 communicates through a pipe10 and a check valve 11 with a supply of gasoline.

In the top plate 12 of the tank there is provided a central opening 13with tapering wall, as shown at 14, to provide a seat for vided asimilartperforation 19 in the parti-- valve 21 secured tion 4 toaccommodate the to the stem by means of the set screw 22, the valves 16and 21 being spaced on the stem 17 in such a manner that only one canbecome operative at one time. The upper perforation 13 communicatesthrough the pas: sage 23 with the suction side of the internalcombustion engine and the lower opening 19 communicates with the lowercham- A vent hole' 24 is provided in the cover plate 12 and is adaptedto be closed by a valve 26 mounted on the valve stem 27 which extendsinto the tank for a considerable distance. A perforated cap 28 ismounted on top ot the plate to protect the vent opening.

The vent valve is operated by means of a float 29 which operates atmaximum and minimum liquid elevations a rod 31 by bearing on arms 32 and33 respectively and this latter rod manipulates a link 34, one end ofwhich is pivoted in a stationary bracket 36, as shown at 37, the linkbeing made to straddle the stem 27 and to operate the stem by bearing onone of the two nuts 38 and 39 for raising or lowering the same. The link34 is also acted on by two springs 41 disposed on opposite sides of thesame and fastened to the free end of the link as shown at 42 and to astationary point 43 rearwardly of the pivot 37, the springs serving topull the' link 34 upwardly or downwardly respectively as soon as itpasses the center line of the pivot 37 and the spring support 43 andalso tends to hold or lock the link 34 in either end positionirrespective of any change in the position of the float.

At the upper end of the stem 27 there is with the contact 49 and therebycloses a circuit including the upper one of two electromagnets 52 and53, the upper one of a second set of electro-magnets 54 and 56 and thesource of electrical energy 47, so thatthereby the electro-magnet 52 isenergized and pulls toward itan arm 57 pivoted at oneend in standards 58as shown at 59 and engaging in its central portion with a grooved collar61 fast on the hollow stem 17 'so that the latter stem is raised forseating the valve 16 and for unseating the valve 21. The raising of thestem 17 breaks the contact between the elements 48 and 49 so that theelectrical circuit is opened immediately after it has per: formed itsfunction.

The initial momentum imparted to the hollow stem 17 by the ull of theeleetr e magnet 52 on the arm .57 is therefore relied on alone foreffecting a change in position of the stem 17, and for maintaining thelatter in its raised position the link and spring arrangement'shownimmediately underthe top plate is used. The latter comprises a sleeve 62revolv'able on the stem 17 and held 1 against longitudinal motion by thevalve 16 and a collar 63, two links 64 pivoted to the sleeve atdiametrically opposite points having intermediate points 66 pivotallysupported in links 67 suspended from the top gasoline in the tank thus"becomes available plate and having their extreme ends joined by a pairof springs 68 tending to draw the two ends together. In the shown inFigure 1, the sleeve 62 is isposed below the plane of the springs.andwhen the stem israised the sleeve is forced through the said planeagainst the resistance of the springs and' thereupon forced upwardlyby'the springs'so that the valve 16 is engaged with the seat 14 andmaintained in that position by the springs.

This upward motion of the stem 17 opens the valve 19 in the partition4-and allows the contents of the tank to be drained into the lowerchamber 3 as far as the capacity of the latter admits of such drainage;The

for the carburetor and when the level of v the gasoline in the tankreaches a minimum,

the bottom of the float strikes thearm 33 4 ofthe rod 31, pulling-thelatter and with it the link 34 downwardly until the'latter engages withthe lower nut 39 on. the stem 27 and pulls the latter downwardly forclosing the valve 24. When the stem 27 is pulleddown sufiiciently far toclose the valve 24,

' the contact 48'engages with the contact 51 and thereby energizes thecircuit lot the lower electro-magnet 53 so that the latter becomesenergized and pulls the harm 57 and the stem 17 downwardly whereby thevalve 19-isclosed and the valve 13 is opened while at the same time thecontact between the elements 48 and 51 is broken so that the flow osition' of current stops. While;

moving downwardly the sleeve 62 on thestem 17has toy I 68 and is nowheld in its lowermost position by the tension of the said sprmgs.

The two electro-magnetsz 54 and 56 are pass through the center plane ofthe springs connected in series with the two electro-mag nets 52 and 53respectively and operate an arm 69 pivoted on the shaft 71 of anysuitable registering device, the arm having a 73 against reversedmotion. From the ratchet rotary motion may be transmitted in anysuitable manner to the wheels of a registering device, not shown in thedrawing.

The operation ofthe device is as follows:

Commencing with the position of the Va- 5' rious elements as illustratedin Figure 1 a vacuum is created in the tank by the suction of the"engine through the. opening 13 which causes gasoline to be drawn, inthrough the opening 9, the vent opening24 being closed by thevalve 26.The entering gasoline, cause's'the float 29 to rise until the latterengages with the arm 32 on the rod 31, lifting the same and with it-thelink34 until the latter is forced past the center line of the points'37,43 and forces the stem 27 upwardly through the nut 38. The valve 26 istherebylifted fromits'seat while, at the same time, ;'contact isestablished between the velements 48 and 49 which closes the aircuitindluding the-electro-magnet 52. The latter upon being energized raisesthe arm 57 andQthroughft-he same the stem-l7, forcing the sIeeve 62 pastcenter and closing the valve 13 and opening the valve 19 while alsobreakingthecontact between the elements 48 and 49. At this stage air isallowed to enter the tank 1 from the atmbsphere while the suction valveis clb'sed and the gasoline stored in the tank is allowed to flowthrough the opening 19 into the lower chamber 3. The float sinkswith thelevel of ,the gasoline in the-tank but all the other'elements retaintheir respective positions until the upper chamber is 'drained ofgasoline sulficiently to allow the float .29 to bear on the lower" arm.33 of the-rod. 31. pushing the same downwardly. This 0 eration causesthefree. end of the arm 34 to e' pillled downwardly which latter pull istransmitted to the stem 27, closing thevalve26 and establishing contactbetween the elements 48 .and 57 whereby the lower eleetro-magnet 53..isienergized and the stem 17 pulled downwardly so that now the valve 21becomes seatedwhile the valve 16 is unseated; The downward motion of thestem 17 breaks the contact between-the elements 48 and 57 and"de-energizes the electro-magnet' 53, the tension of the springs .68serving to hold the stem 17' in its last mentioned position. a

igo

At this stage the vent valve 26 is closed, the'suction valve 16 is openand the discharge valve 21 is closed so that now the suction of theengine may draw further means for holding the vent valve 26 in itsraised position-during the short period that the float 29 bears down onthe arm 33, preparatory to forcing the valve 26 on its seat, a smallspring 75 may be fastened to the end of the link 34 so as to bear on theunderface of the nut 38 during the initial period of the downwardmovement of the arm 34. As soon as the arm moves past center to urge thelower nut 39 downwardly, the spring 75 becomesrdisengaged-from the uppernut 38. J

It should also be understood that my valve arrangement with itsoperating mechanism could be used generally in connection with anydevice for delivering a -liquid in measured quantities and would beapplicable also where gravity feed is used. In the latter case it wouldonly be necessary to close the pipe 1.0 and to connect. the passage 23directly with the liquid to be dispensed. The

valve mechanism would operate in the same manner. I

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described,

a tank having an intake port, a discharge port, a suction port and avent port and valves for the ports, float controlled means formechanically operating the vent valve at maximum and minimum, levels ofliquid in the tank and electrical means becoming active upon theoperation of the vent valve for effecting operative movements of thesuction and discharge valves respectively.- 2. In a device of thecharacter described, a tank having an intake port, a discharge port, asuctionport and a vent ort and valves for the ports, float control edmeans for operating the vent valve at maximum and minimum levels ofliquid in the tank and electrical means becoming active upon theoperation of the vent valve fol" effecting operative movements of thesuction and discharge valves respectively, and made to become inactiveimmediately thereafter.

3. In a device of the character described, a, tank having an intakeport, a discharge port, a suction port and a vent port and valves forthe ports, float controlled means for operating the vent valve atmaximum and minimum levels of liquid in the tank and electrical meansbecoming active. upon the operation of the vent valve for effectingoperative movements of the suction and discharge valves respectively andmade to be-.

come inactive immediately thereafter in combination with mechanicalmeans for maintaining all the ports in their respective positions untilpositively actuated for reversal."

4. In a device of the character described, a tank, a vent valve therein,means operated by the vent valve for alternately filling and emptyingthe tank and float controlled means becoming active at maximum andminimum float elevations for operating the vent valve, said meanscomprising a valve stem extending into the tank having two stopsthereon,

a link pivoted at one end to the tank at the other end straddling thestem between the stops and float actuated means operating the free endof the link.

5. In a device of the character described, a tank, a vent valve therein,means operated by the vent valve for alternately filling and emptyingthe tank and float controlled means becoming active at maximum andminimum float elevations for operating the vent valve, said meanscomprising a valve stem extending into the tank having two stopsthereon, a link pivoted at one end to the tank atthe other endstraddling the stem between the stops and float actuated means operatingthe free end of the link in combination with means for maintaining thestem in either end position until positively reversed.

6. In a device of the character described, a tank, a vent'valve therein,float controlled means becoming active at maximum and minimum floatelevations for operating the vent valve, a suction port and a dischargeport in the tank having valves associated therewith and a commonoperating element for the latter valves allowing one to be closed whilethe other is 0 en and electric means rendered active by t e opening andclosing of the vent valve for manipulating the operating element, thelatter element having means associated therewith for maintaining thesame in either operative position until positively forced into the otheroperative position.

7. In a device of the character described, a-tank, a vent valve therein,float controlled means becoming active at maximum and minimum floatelevations for operating the vent valve, a suction port and a dischargeport disposedoin axial alinement having valves associated therewith anda common stem for the valves allowing one to be closed while the otheris open and electric means rendered active by the opening and closing ofthe vent valve for manipulating the oper ating element.

- THOMAS, T. GIVENS.

